VPP invests $2.8 million in Urban Alliance partnership…Milloy: D.C. becoming inaccessible to low-income residents…HIV/AIDS rates up in young black men [News, 11.28.12]

COMMUNITY | Venture Philanthropy Partners is investing $2.8 million in a partnership with the Urban Alliance to support workforce training and college preparedness for low-income youth in the region. VPP President and CEO Carol Thompson Cole, who is also a WRAG board member, says:

At VPP, our mission is to invest in organizations that can help the most disadvantaged young people in our region reach their full potential and become successful, contributing adults…For the past 16 years, Urban Alliance has been doing just that, enabling kids who might otherwise fall through the cracks gain the skills they need to find good jobs and attend college. We are pleased that this partnership will allow Urban Alliance to expand into the suburbs, where child poverty rates are climbing and where many of our children are now in crisis.

EQUITY | Courtland Milloy has harsh words about the ways in which the District is changing. He calls the city “architecturally restored yet soulless,” laments school boundaries, and says that efforts to make D.C. more walkable are detrimental to low-income residents. His overarching point is that the District is improving for the “haves” at the expense of the “have nots.” (WaPo, 11/28)

I’d be curious to hear your reactions to his column. For me, it’s a mixed bag. He ignores the benefits of making the city more walkable, doesn’t qualify his disdain for architectural development, and glosses over a very valid concern for residents of any economic background – crime. On the positive side, his focus on the equity gap and the importance of job creation are right on point.

HOUSING | Yesterday we heard about granny pods. Today the Post writes about the budding trend of tiny houses. In a Northeast D.C. alley, a company is building 150-200 square foot homes that cost “less than the down payment on a two-bedroom condo in a trendy D.C. neighborhood.” (WaPo, 11/28) The homes come with a personal welcome from the Lollipop Guild.

HIV/AIDS | HIV Infections Rise Among Young Black Men In U.S. (WAMU, 11/28) “While the number of new infections in the U.S. is relatively stable — at about 50,000 people each year — HIV is on the rise in young people under 25.”

GIVING | Somewhat confusingly, the Post published an article explaining Giving Tuesday…today. (WaPo, 11/28) Maxwell Smart might have something to say about the timing.

FOOD | The Montgomery County Council has established a work group, comprised of nonprofits and grocers, to look at ways to redistribute food that would otherwise be thrown away. (Patch, 11/28) Thank you to Adina Dubin Barkinskiy for pointing out this article.

EDUCATION | Ward 8 Raises Questions On DCPS Closures (WAMU, 11/28)

EVENTS
- The Freddie Mac Foundation is partnering with NBC4 and the Council of Governments for an adoption expo on December 1. The free event is for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia residents to learn everything they would need to know about adoption. [More info.]

- The Women’s Collective is holding a rally on World AIDS Day (December 3) called “Getting to Zero in DC: Zero Infections. Zero Deaths. Zero Discrimination.” [More info.]

LOCAL | Ghosts of DC has a cool look at a “castle” that used to sit on Meridian Hill. And while I put “castle” in quotation marks, it really was a castle and it was awesome. (GODC, 11/28)

I was listening to some of Bob Dylan’s B-sides earlier and was reminded that the stuff that didn’t even make the cut for his albums is still fantastic. Series of Dreams is one of the highlights.

Speaking of dreams, I someday plan to explore the galaxy and claim an entire planet or two as my own. So, it’s great that NASA has explained how it might build a warp drive for me. You are all invited to be guests on my planets, where every Thursday will be Pizza Night.